Cells/Dividing

Maximizing Your Creativity

We are all born with the potential to be talented and creative, through practice anyone can become a master. This article covers my own set of guidelines that have helped me produce my best work over the years.

What works for some, might not work for everyone. I encourage you to use this as a guide for making your own list. A majority of my rules involve keeping myself mentally healthy. Creativity happens in mind, and when my mind is helter-skelter or troubled I can’t put forth my best effort.

So, here are my 20 rules for achieving maximum creativity:

1. Create a daily routine.
   Following a list of rituals keeps you productive, and keeps mental clutter in check. When making a routine, be sure to include things you need to limit yourself on. For example, if you find you are unproductive because you spend too much time surfing the internet before you start your work, then limit how long you can do this to say 30 minutes. Your daily routine should also include checking your to-do list. Go through, and write down the things you can accomplish today. Avoid procrastination. I’ve found it’s hard for me to perform my best when my mind is jumbled with things I’ve been putting off.
2. Break your routine once in a while.
   Throw a little randomness in your life here and there. Try to do something new once a week. You’re not a robot, and following the same routine all the time can become mundane. Structure is important, but change things up when they become stale. Do you always do your creative work at home? Change up your environment and take your laptop to the park or a cafe instead.
3. Keep everything clean and organized.
   This includes your house, your work area, your body, and mind. I am my most creative with a fresh shower, a clear mind, and a tidy computer desk. Before you start your work sit back with a cup of hot tea and try hard to not think about anything, clearing your mind. A clear mind has more room for new ideas.
4. Get healthy.
   Jog or walk 30 minutes a day, it clears your mind and gets your blood flowing. Limit or eliminate fast and frozen food, they drain your energy. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. When I take care of my health I have more energy and motivation. It reflects in my work. Read up on eating a proper diet, and if you hate cooking (like me) look up a list of healthy recipes that can be made in under 20 minutes. Eating healthy is a lot easier when you make it convenient. ;)
5. Keep a blank journal with you.
   Inspiration will strike you at the oddest times. I’ve had some of my best ideas in bed, at work, or walking down the street. When inspiration strikes, get it out while you’re still in the moment… while the creativity is still flowing naturally. Keeping a journal on you will prevent you from losing your best ideas. Something small or even pocket-sized works best, Moleskin sells a nice variety of journals perfect for creative types.
6. Brainstorm.
   When I sit down and brainstorm I create hundreds of idea “seeds”. It doesn’t matter what the ideas are just write them down. Even boring ideas can start a chain of thinking that leads to an amazing concept. Open a notebook (physical or digital) and just start filling it with every idea that hits you. These ideas can be about nothing particular, or they can be focused on a major project you have going. Brainstorming might also involve a lot of quick little sketches representing a painting you might want to do, or a new design you want to work on. Keep your unused brainstorms for later when you feel like you are running out of ideas.
7. Look for inspiration.
   Whatever it is you want to create, try to think of how you want to do it and look for others that have already done something similar. For example, if I know I want to make a 3 column layout for a website, I’d start by sketching my idea down on paper, and then browsing my favorite inspiration galleries to see how others accomplished this type of layout, and organized their content. This doesn’t mean copy what you see, mind you. Learning from the pros is a great way to improve, but in everything you do make sure you did it your way!
8. Being a deep thinker is a good thing, just don’t be an over-thinker.
   Creative types tend to thoroughly analyze everything, especially their own work, but don’t over complicate the unimportant details. It will only distract you.
9. Don’t worry about whether your work is good or not.
   If you’re the type of artist that over-thinks your work, stop. Just keep working. If you paint, paint everyday. If you write, write everyday. Don’t stress over being the best. This comes naturally with time. Pablo Casals was once asked why, at age 95, he still practices six hours a day despite being considered the greatest cellist to ever live. He replied, “Because I think I’m making progress.” When you practice your craft daily you will find that after years of doing this your ideas will become more and more creative. When you over think the quality of your ideas it holds you back. Thinking you’re not good enough will only discourage you, and on the opposite end getting cocky will keep you from putting effort into your work.
10. Make sure you enjoy what you do.
    When I was a kid I could sit down with a box of crayons for hours. Not because I wanted to find a way to market my drawings of unicorns, but because I loved the feel of the paper, I loved watching the colors flow as I pushed the crayon around, and most of all because I thought unicorns were cool. If you create to impress your peers, or have hopes of making an extravagant living with your work you’ll only end up trying too hard. Creativity can’t be forced. It should flow freely, and naturally. Do it because you love it, and no other reason. Passion alone can make your work inspiring.
11. It’s o.k. if it’s already been done, just do it differently.
    There are over 6 billion people in this world, it’s not easy to come up with something completely original. Instead, study what the others did and think about what you can do to make yours stand out, and hopefully better.
12. Don’t dwell on a failed project.
    Dr. Seuss’s first book was rejected by 27 publishers. No matter how creative you are, not everything you produce will be golden. When your ideas flop, either keep trying or start something new, but don’t spiral into a vortex of negativity. Evaluate areas you need to improve, and keep working.
13. Put real time into your work.
    When I was younger, I entered an art contest. The other artist there had a few samples of their work, and one artist in particular had some of the best work I had ever seen. His work was unique, and showed far more talent then anyone else in the room. On top of that he was the same age as everyone else, and had been drawing just as long as the rest of them. What made him different was the hours he put into his work. He was spending 40-80 hours on an individual piece where I was only spending about 5-10. I learned that if you want your work to stand out, you have to put forth the effort. Spend more time on your work and avoid shortcuts. Working on anything for too long can burn you out, however, which leads to my next rule…
14. Take a break, often.
    Go outside and look at the sky. Take a walk. Go to the park. Whatever you do, get out of your chair and walk away. When you sit at a desk for hours, it doesn’t take long before your creative energy stops flowing. You want to get up every hour or two to get your blood moving again, and reset your mind.
15. The price tag on your tools will have no effect on the quality of your work.
    Don’t convince yourself that it’s your equipment holding back your creativity and talent. A great artist can produce better work with a #2 pencil and typing paper, then a second-rate artist with a whole studio worth of expensive tools. Creativity cannot be bought. I’m not saying paying extra for the good stuff is wrong, though. I wouldn’t mind owning a Cintiq 21UX, myself.
16. Don’t force your way out a creative block.
    If you’ve been staring at a blank space and simply have nothing to fill it with then come back to it later. When going through a dry spell practice your craft by doing something that requires less creativity and more technical talent. If you’re an artist, draw some anatomy sketches or a still life. If you’re a writer, write something non-fiction. If you’re a web designer, work on learning a new web based programming language. Wait patiently, inspiration will strike you again on it’s own time.
17. Work on developing your own style.
    If someone became familiar with a few of your pieces, could they identify one they had never seen as being yours? When I see a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, a film by Tim Burton, or hear a song by Apocalyptica I already know it’s thier work without checking because these artist have a distinctive style.
18. Look for critiques…
    …but not from your mom, she thinks everything you do is great. Look for people not afraid to tell you what they really think about your work and learn from it. Digital art communities are great for getting feedback. You’ll try harder, and push your creativity in a healthy way.
19. Try a new type of art.
    Painting, writing, web design, photography, song lyrics… the list is endless. Pick something you haven’t tried and take it on as a side project. You can’t expect to master every type of art, but it’s not unrealistic to become great at more then just one. It’s especially useful to take up a new craft that compliments the ones you’re already into.
20. Ask a lot of questions, and read a lot of books.
    Study your craft constantly, because you will never learn it all. Buy, and read a new book every month. Ask fellow artist how they do what they do. Use the internet to find tutorials, articles, and discussion forums. Always be a student.

And that’s my guide for being my creative best. If you have your own list I’d love to hear about it.

The image in the header was made using:

• Brush Strokes 2 by Pfefferminzchen
• Grungy Paper Texture by bashcorpo
• Random Brushes Set 3 by Illyera
• Splatter Brushes by SparklingTea